Irene - he crushed on actress named Irene, so there is no way I will agree to this. Also, really nms.

We both like Anna... me, because it is both my mom and my middle names, and I'd like to continue that, and him because he just likes the name. But we can't figure out a version of Anna that works for us. Anne, Anna, and Anastasia are out for the reasons above. AnnabelleLee is a poem by EdgarAllenPoe that's in most high school English anthologies now (Annabelle is dead in the poem). Annamae would be nice because Mae was my grandmother's middle name, so it would be kind of like naming her after me, my mom, and my grandma... but my grandfather (other side) dated an Annamae after my (other) grandmother died, and while everybody liked her okay, I think my parents and aunts would find it weird. Anneliese has spelling/pronunciation issues, and Annika feels too foreign.

Anyway, the good news is that we aren't that far apart on style... we both like pretty classic names, but he likes a narrower/more traditional range of them than I do. The bad news is that we seem to have run out of classic names AND Li is surprisingly hard to pair names with, because it combines with many, is so short, and is so common.

I suggest going through the top 1,000 names and letting him highlight or write down all the names that catch his eye, and you do the same. Just names you are interested to know more about. Try and find some common ground.

Then, go research the names, find out the meanings and associations, and put them in order from favorite to least favorite (but all names you'd be happy to consider) have him do the same. Compare notes. Hopefully, after discovering the meanings and such, there will be something you both like.

Arabelle Li-- sort of like Annabelle but without the Poe association. Still classic but not overusedHanna Li-- like Anna but without sounding like anallyHannah Li-- same as aboveSuzannah Li-- another Anna variation so she can be indirectly share a family nameCora Li-- classic and prettyAva Li-- something about this sounds strong and classic but still kind of fresh and edgyStella LiLola LiEliza LiAmelia LiLydia Li